Hamlet, Act V

1. The gravedigger is there mainly for comic relief. He acts as the clown before the really tragic part. He also allows us to see Hamlet's change in character. Hamlet now sees death as a natural event, and he doesn't care as much about it.

2. Hamlet is able to speak to the skulls and the gravedigger about death in a nonchalant kind of way. It shows how differently he views death; his motive is more about a greater good than his own personal wants. He is sad that Yoric and Ophelia is dead, but perhaps has accepted the death of his father already. It also shows how really did love Ophelia.

3. Hamlet is 30-years-old. The gravedigger says he's been digging since Hamlet was born, and that was 30 years ago.

4. The argument between Hamlet and Laertes highlights their dramatic foils. It is just more evidence that Hamlet really did love Ophelia, but also backs up Hamlet's need for dramatic attention.

5. After his stay with the pirates, Hamlet is more willing to take action. He isn't concerned about consequences anymore. He is more concerned with the state of Denmark as a whole than his own personal revenge.

6. Before, the revenge was all for Hamlet's own self, his mother, and his father. Now, Hamlet thinks he should be king of Denmark.

7. Osric acts as a reincarnation of Polonius. He backs up the idea of prostitution. He sucks up to Hamlet, and tells him what he wants to hear.

8. "We defy augury". The "we" in this case isn't just Hamlet and Horatio, it's Denmark as a whole. Hamlet is saying that to not duel Laertes would be going against fate. He states that whatever is going to happen is going to happen anyway because it's God's will.

9. Laertes wants revenge on Hamlet because Hamlet killed his dad. He has essentially lost because he isn't going to kill Hamlet in an honorable way; he's cheating by using the poison.

10. Gertrude talks about how the drink has poisoned her and warns Hamlet not to drink of it. This shows Gertrude's care for Hamlet, as well as her fault that she cares too much for material things. Claudius asks his friends to defend him because he's hurt, which shows how he relies on everyone else to do stuff for him, and shows how he uses others people. Laertes apologizes to Hamlet and asks for forgiveness. He is the only person that feels guilty. This shows that he is still noble.

11. Fortinbras is obviously a winner here. He gets Denmark and his revenge without any opposition. Horatio also wins because he survives, unlike everyone else.